SportsGirl

There has been a wealth of discussion on whether the Pats are the best team in football or if that designation belongs to the Colts. Enough discussion that it caused Steve Young to practically melt down on Sports Center after the game last night. His point? Why discuss what the impending match up between the two teams will mean when we all know they’ll likely meet again in the AFC title game. All due respect to Steve, as I understand where he’s coming from, but I don’t agree. Emmitt Smith made a great point during what became almost a heated exchange between Stu Scott and Young that the match up in November does mean something because it gives the winning team an edge, especially in the mental game. If you’ve beaten them in the regular season, you have that slight swagger when/if you meet again in the post-season. When you have two teams that are playing at this level, even a minor mental edge can make a huge difference.

So, it will come as no surprise to any of my readers that I think the Patriots have the superior team this season. If you compare the two on both sides of the ball you might think it’s a draw. They both have prolific quarterbacks who are amazingly accurate, with a full compliment of receivers to spread the ball to. They both have defenses with play-makers, though I think New England gets the edge there because they have a number of key guys that make plays (i.e. Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrable, etc) whereas I think Indy’s main man on D is Bob Sanders. Don’t get me wrong, Bob Sanders is a guy to build an entire D around, but he’s probably the biggest play-maker on the team and the others are simply good.

Then it comes to coaching. Both teams are well-coached but I think NE will have a huge advantage in this department this season. Bill Belichick has something to prove. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com fame has written a great articleabout exactly how Belichick will prove his greatness this season. Because Belichick is a student of the game, of the game’s history and wants to be a part of the game’s legacy. His talent has been questioned so this season will be a 16-week response letter to all the critics. “Dear critics, I’m awesome and belong in the discussion of the best coaches ever. Don’t ever question me again. Sincerely, Bill Belichick” Or something like that…

So all eyes are on the match up in a few weeks, provided neither team succumbs to the trap of losing a gimme game in the meantime. And my money is on the Pats (of course). Because I can’t listen to Colts fans bragging if the Colts win. Too much to handle!